LNER4479 Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Congrats Iain on two counts! First of all on becoming 'Hot' (50 posts). Secondly - and rather more importantly - for having a complete circuit! Hope you get chance to enjoy yourself giving your stock an airing; if you can take some pics and post them even better 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium southern42 Posted October 24, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 24, 2012 Lo and behold, yet another one to find this thread... Will be following with great interest. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 Congrats Iain on two counts! First of all on becoming 'Hot' (50 posts). Secondly - and rather more importantly - for having a complete circuit! Hope you get chance to enjoy yourself giving your stock an airing; if you can take some pics and post them even better Thanks I have quite a bit of electrical work to do before I can run anything for the whole circuit, but will definitely record it for the thread. I do confess to gently pushing the 3 coach mk1 rake all the way round, just to prove to myself that it all worked..... No derailments, thank goodness. Lo and behold, yet another one to find this thread... Will be following with great interest. Thanks, hope to give you something worth following! Did a little more today between meetings at home and in London. Now up to 5 roads completed, and almost completed the final turnout into the storage yard. Being a little sidetracked tomorrow though..... Have a fitting for the new Titleist driver in the morning. How many tortoise motors can I get for the cost of a new driver? Iain 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I would guess about 25... You're having a fitting? Are you going to wear it? That must be the difference between a scratch golfer and someone who grips it and rips it. Probably why I'm off 20+.... So stop golfing about and get that layout wired. I've a few loco's sitting here just begging for a run. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted October 25, 2012 Author Share Posted October 25, 2012 Oh dear...... The new driver was rather good. Mind you, it would need to be as Gordon's estimate was only 0.72 of a tortoise out. Ouch.... Only good bits about the expense were that 1. I have the shaft already, so I don't need to to spend another 19.2 tortoises on that. 2. I shared the journey up to St Ives (Titleist HQ) with a mate, who got away less lightly. If he takes their recommendations, he needs 13 new clubs..... But then, he's not trying to build a model of North London in his shed. I digress...enough about a game that is at times more frustrating than trying to thread handrail knobs in the dark with oven gloves on. However good you get at it. Thanks for the encouragement Gordon. Soon I will also need advice on which DCC system and chips to go for, because although I can test run everything of mine with the Gaugemaster, I can't give any of your locos a run until I sort that out. Hoping to finish all 12 roads plus all kickback sidings, fully wired and tested by the end of next week. There, that will come back to bite me. Iain 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted October 29, 2012 Author Share Posted October 29, 2012 Just finished laying the final piece of track in the storage sidings. All 12 roads plus 10 kickback sidings done. Apologies for the picture quality - just trying out posting a pic with the iPad. Hopefully the three Mk1 coaches gives some idea of how much space I have to fill. While there is a fair bit packed in boxes at the moment, I have some scope to errrr ...... "expand" the stock list...... A load of electrical stuff to do now! Iain 14 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 I feel like I've wired about 8 million droppers during the 3 hours I had today, and I doubt I've done more than a fifth of them. Do they take as long for others as I seem to be taking? Using recycled peco from the old layouts in the storage sidings was a good idea for the wallet, and fine for the practically new and full length bits. When I needed to use 2-3 pieces per yard towards the end though, it gives a lot more pieces of rail, and I wish I'd just shelled out for new. Iain 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jukebox Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Sounds like you've hit one of the hard edges of the Time-Cost-Quality triangle, Iain! Having had some enforced "thinking time" before I start my layout build, I did come to the realisation that I should consider the monetary value of my time when making planning decsions, as it does come into play when there is so much work ahead of you. I do take my hat off to you, taking on the handbuilt turnouts. I did the numbers, and whilst it would have saved me money, was petrified at the time I might take to get them done, which would be at the cost of what were to me more fun things, like building bridges. (you, however seem to have cracked that mutli-tasking caper a lot quicker than I would have!) Keep up with the photos - it's great to watch your progress. Cheers Scott 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Thanks Scott. I'm sure you're right. I hope I get at least one of the triangle right.... my abiding fear on this project is that it will take ages, cost loads and turn out terribly! To be honest I could have built the storage yards with peco turnouts but wanting a minimum radius of 36", and seeing the benefits of smooth curves and transitions on other layouts, I went down the hand built route. Not so much for the cost. There is a certain elegance to them that rtp turnouts don't capture. A major benefit will hopefully be that I have cut my teeth to some degree, and the handbuilt chaired turnouts in the shed area will be a little easier to get right. They are all B6-B8 and should be more straightforward than curved D12's anyway. A bit (lot) more wiring and then taking my older son to visit Bristol Uni, then both boys to have a curry with grandparents this evening. Sounds like a good plan! Iain 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 Hoping to finish all 12 roads plus all kickback sidings, fully wired and tested by the end of next week. There, that will come back to bite me. Iain I said that would come back to bite me.... Managed to finish all the tracklaying as in the pics above and all 12 roads plus the kickback sidings seem fine at this stage. Also did thankfully very few gentle adjustments where necessary to get smooth running. I dare say there will be a little more of that to do. I have wired up about 80% of the whole thing so far, but running out of tortoise motors didn't exactly help me get things finished. You might have thought I could count..... There were three multipack boxes that I thought were full. But they weren't. Hasty order placed. I've also nearly completed the control panel wiring, which will speed up the construction of the shed area. Will take a couple of pics but that's the trouble with wiring - not very photogenic! Iain Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Physicsman Posted November 6, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 6, 2012 Hi Iain, I've noticed you've paid a number of visits to Kirkby Luneside. Time to repay the compliment - and what you're doing is very impressive. Must say, it's the best (and most luxurious) "shed" I've ever seen - with windows all down one side. Very nice. Love the trackplan, trackwork and your mimic (post 46) is wired simply and to the point (no pun intended). Great work - I'll follow this from now on. With a "name" of 92220 you are clearly a man of taste - great locos. Cheers, Jeff 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linthorpe Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 What a difference between page 1 and page 3, a real leap forward. The excellent bridge particularly caught my attention, great. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
westerner Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Oh for a fiddleyard that size. On the other hand it will be expensive to fill with stock. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold fishytrains Posted November 7, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 7, 2012 A very interesting looking layout. That fiddle yard is very impressive. Looking forward to seeing more over the coming months. Mike. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
flapland Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 (edited) Just found this topic, this is looking impressive already. I cross the modelled bridge every morning on the way to work, shame I wasn't born before Camden Shed closed. If you would like some current photos of the bridge let me know. Edited November 7, 2012 by flapland 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted November 8, 2012 Author Share Posted November 8, 2012 Hi Iain, I've noticed you've paid a number of visits to Kirkby Luneside. Time to repay the compliment - and what you're doing is very impressive. Must say, it's the best (and most luxurious) "shed" I've ever seen - with windows all down one side. Very nice. Love the trackplan, trackwork and your mimic (post 46) is wired simply and to the point (no pun intended). Great work - I'll follow this from now on. With a "name" of 92220 you are clearly a man of taste - great locos. Cheers, Jeff Thanks Jeff, much appreciated. Have very much enjoyed watching Kirkby Luneside take shape as well. Wired a few more sections yesterday evening. I'll be glad when this job is done. It's obviously a key moment because then everything else can just be added in bit by bit. Trains can run past what will be the construction site of the shed area (although I can't really stock up all the storage roads . But I do find wiring boring! Makes it all the more important to concentrate and avoid errors though. The immediate plan, once the 4 main lines and storage area are wired and running properly, is to complete my representation of Regents Park Road bridge, Primrose Hill station building on the eastern side of the bridge, plus the back of the Pembroke pub and retaining wall on the western side. All of these have had to be slightly rescaled to fit them in, just as the track plan has been. Once that is done, I will then have a vantage point to photograph some trains in the scene, similar to this shot from Peter Brabham's Flickr stream that I quoted earlier in the thread. Iain Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted November 8, 2012 Author Share Posted November 8, 2012 What a difference between page 1 and page 3, a real leap forward. The excellent bridge particularly caught my attention, great. Thanks very much. Hope there will be more to see in the coming weeks. Oh for a fiddleyard that size. On the other hand it will be expensive to fill with stock. A very interesting looking layout. That fiddle yard is very impressive. Looking forward to seeing more over the coming months. Mike. Thank you - I hope to enjoy filling it with suitably interesting locos and stock. At least it won't fill up too quickly....! Just found this topic, this is looking impressive already. I cross the modelled bridge every morning on the way to work, shame I wasn't born before Camden Shed closed. If you would like some current photos of the bridge let me know. Thanks, I paid a visit last year and took some photos and measurements (though the photos weren't great as it was getting dark). The detail I would like to get is of the mountings of the bridge ironwork onto the brick piers at each end - but that would involve doing all sorts of trespass and climbing I fear! One question I may need to ask in another place to get it seen is what sort of road markings would have been on the roadway of the bridge in 1962? Now, it would be double white lines in the centre and double yellows on both sides, I expect. I am assuming, though can't yet prove it, that the bridge was pedestrianised after then. Iain Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted November 18, 2012 Author Share Posted November 18, 2012 A bit more progress to report. All the underboard wiring doesn't make for a very inspiring photo I'm afraid. Even on the plain track boards of the storage sidings, there are 70-80 droppers connected to the up and down bus wires. Only the corner board to finish wiring now - it's partly done but I've not managed to get enough time on it to complete it. Here is the inside of the control panel, not far off completion. I've done some planning of how to integrate: my approximations of Regents Park Road bridge and Primrose Hill Station building with an invented retaining wall borrowed from further down Camden Bank, because I can't really see how to represent Camden Goods Yard. It's not easy! The station building is so close to the bridge and it lends a characteristic backdrop to photos looking north from the shed, so I'd like to include it. I think I need to make some mock-ups and maybe post pics here to see what people think I had a replica sign made as well. I'm not sure exactly where this was sited but I imagine it was at the entrance on Dumpton Place. May bring back a few memories for those who managed a tour (or a bunk!) of Camden Shed! I've got a photo of the real sign in an old Backtrack, which I gave to the sign maker. In comparison with that picture, he's done a very good job in fact. Iain 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Love the sign, Iain! Can you give us a link to the signmaker? Are these the guys I saw at the last Aldershot show? I rather fancy one for ET. In blue of course..... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted November 19, 2012 Author Share Posted November 19, 2012 Love the sign, Iain! Can you give us a link to the signmaker? Are these the guys I saw at the last Aldershot show? I rather fancy one for ET. In blue of course..... Sure, if I'm allowed to. It was from Ron Connor who exhibited at Aldershot, yes. I can't find a web address at present but I do have one at home for his brand new website. I'll PM you his email address. Blue would suit ET better obviously! With Peterborough North, Little Bytham, Stoke Summit, Retford, Stockrington, Hatfield, as well as ET, I think the LMR region needs a bit of a boost, especially the WCML....! I'm certain I'm not capable of competing with that kind of quality. It's like making England play a test series in India...... Iain Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Sorry Iain, just seen your post after I sent you a PM. Do they have a set of standard templates or do you have to supply a drawing/spec? What about fonts and Pantone colours? Do they select the correct font for the region or do I need to do a lot more research? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Great looking fiddle yard and control panel here Ian, it has been a good read and will pop in for a look again very soon, please keep the pics coming, all the best Andy. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
92220 Posted November 19, 2012 Author Share Posted November 19, 2012 Sorry Iain, just seen your post after I sent you a PM. Do they have a set of standard templates or do you have to supply a drawing/spec? What about fonts and Pantone colours? Do they select the correct font for the region or do I need to do a lot more research? They do indeed have standard templates but this was not one of those - he just made a unique one matched up to the picture I gave him. The standard totem templates just require you to choose what name to go on it. For this one, standard LMR maroon colour for the background and light cream lettering. I had assumed a standard BR (LMR) font and hadn't even spotted that this, or other regions might have different fonts.... Ron just matched up the font on the picture I gave him. Good luck with it! Iain 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
flapland Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 (edited) Iain, I may be able to get the pictures you want from the East(Euston Side) of the bridge this weekend in daylight by taking them from the beer garden of the pub. The West side though is far more difficult due to the high wall. Edited November 19, 2012 by flapland 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted November 19, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 19, 2012 They do indeed have standard templates but this was not one of those - he just made a unique one matched up to the picture I gave him. The standard totem templates just require you to choose what name to go on it. For this one, standard LMR maroon colour for the background and light cream lettering. I had assumed a standard BR (LMR) font and hadn't even spotted that this, or other regions might have different fonts.... Ron just matched up the font on the picture I gave him. Iain The font was standard across all Regions - the difference was of course the Regional colour of the background plus the WR used cream lettering instead of the white used by all other Regions. I thought the the sign by the door at Camden had white lettering but it's an awful long time since I last crept past it 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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